Mental health patients harmed by being sent to units far from home, report finds

Mental health patients in England are being harmed by the rise in psychiatric unit placements far from their homes and families, a report indicates.

Some patients had experienced anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while others had died by suicide as a result of their distant placements, according to a Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) report, which drew on interviews with patients and their families.

The participants said their experiences had resulted in anger, frustration and a loss of trust in the mental health system.

Neil Alexander, a senior safety investigator, said “urgent improvements” were needed to reduce harm to patients. “The reality is patients need to be treated and sometimes it is seen as safer to admit them to an inpatient ward or unit,” he said.

“However, as our investigation sadly showed, the harm caused to patients when moved far from home or moved back and forth between settings can be distressing, for them and for their families.

“The investigation emphasised that inappropriate out-of-area placements are a symptom of wider issues within health and social care: financial and resources pressures, long waiting lists for social housing and a lack of true integration between the two.”

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Source: The Guardian, 21 November 2024